Neolucanus tao Kriesche, 1935

Qian Zhang, Yang Ge, Yuanyuan Wu & Xia Wan, 2016, Taxonomic notes on some species of Neolucanus Thomson (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) from China, Zoological Systematics 41 (2), pp. 195-206 : 197-201

Neolucanus tao Kriesche, 1935 (Figs 1–4, 43–45)

Neolucanus tao Kriesche, 1935 . Koleop. Rundsch., 21: 170.

Neolucanus taos Benesh, 1960 . Coleop. Cat., 8 (Suppl.): 125 (lapsus calami).

Length (including mandible) 36.0–40.0 mm. Width 13.0–15.0 mm. Surface. Dark except for partly reddish brown elytra (Figs 1–4). Main surface smooth, small punctures presented on mandibles and the surrounding of eyes; legs with large and dense punctures. Head. Almost rectangular, gloomy, about 2.6 times wider than long. Anterior margin concaved at middle, frontal region shallowly depressed with a large triangular depression. Vertex slightly raised. Male mandibles. Curved at middle, about 1.4 times the length of head in large male. The apex sharp, slightly curved inwards. A large, upwardly erected sub-apical tooth presented on the upper margin. Other 6–7 small sharp teeth serrated along the lower margin from the base to the apex. Female mandibles. Much shorter than the length of head, covering with punctures; the apex sharp and curved inwards; the sub-apical tooth absent on the upper margin, 2–3 small blunt teeth presented at the middle of the lower margin. Eyes. Large, little produced, completely divided into the upper and lower part by canthi. Canthi laminated and expanded, almost equilaterally triangular with a rounded apex angle in male; those of female almost semicircular. Post-ocular margins slightly swollen and short, about as long as the half of the head length. Mentum. Almost semicircular, the anterior angles rounded, covering with long yellow brown hairs. Labrum. Small, triangular in male and almost semicircular in female. Antennae. Club 3-segmented, terminal segment totally pubescent, other 2 segments partially pubescent. Scape slightly curved, pedicel approximately symmetrical. The 3rd, 4th, 5th segment almost equal, the 7th segment with 3–4 apical setae. Pronotum. Transverse, about 1.8 times wider than long; about 2.1 times the length of head. Disc gently convex. Anterior margin sinuated, sharply projected at middle. Front angles relatively blunt. Lateral margins slightly divergent on 3/4 anteriorly, then strongly convergent on 1/4 posteriorly and meet the posterior margins. Hind angles sharp. Scutellum. Wider than long, blunt heart-shape, scattered with small punctures. Elytra. More shiny than head and pronotum; quite convex, about 1.4 times longer than wide, about as wide as that of pronotum at the widest. Mainly reddish brown except for the basal part around the shoulders, elytral suture and outer margins dark. Wings. Fully developed. Legs. Front tibiae very stout, narrow at base, strongly expanded and forked at apex, with 3–5 small teeth laterally; spurs sub-cylindrical and curved, short in male. Middle and hind tibiae moderately stout, the apex not expanded strongly, lateral tooth absent except for spines at apex. Aedeagus ( Figs 43–44 ). BP moderately stout, about 1.4 times the length of PA; the 3/4 proximal part closed to PA broad, the distal 1/4 part narrow and sharp. PA relatively long with almost straight outer margins; the apex bluntly rounded from the dorsal view, but sharp from the lateral view. ML distinctly asymmetric; the left lobe slightly longer than the right one. PES quite stout, about 2.2 times the total length of BP+PA; main outer surface of PES smooth and membranous, covering with short dense dark brown hairs from the middle to the apical part. Female genitalia ( Fig. 45 ). HS strongly sclerotized, the anteriorly 4/5 part plate-liked, almost rectangular with rounded distal margin; the posteriorly 1/5 part stoutly stick-liked, thin and slightly oblique. AG pale, slender. MO brown, short and stout. BC long, stout, tubiform and longitudinally folded. SD dark brown, joining in BC and distinctly expanded. S situated at the apex of SD, bulb-shaped symmetrically with rounded apex. SG absent.

Type material examined. Holotype of Neolucanus tao , ♂ (Figs 1–2), in SMTD, labelled: type 1 (red lable) / China, Province Kwangsi, Mt. Toyenchan / Neolucanus tao K. Type! (handwritten) / 1961 / Sammlung Kriesche Ankauf 1974 / Staatl. Museum für Tierkunde, Dresden. Paratype of N. tao , ♀ (Fig. 4), in SMTD, same locality data as holotype.

Additional material examined. Specimens of N. tao : Guangxi , 2♂ 2♀, Jinxiu, Mt. Dayao, 20 July 2011, leg. Yinghua Wu ( MAHU). Specimens of the sympatric species of N. guangxi : Guangxi , Jinxiu, 22 September 1981, 1♂ 1♀, collector unknown; 1♂, only with the lable ‘Guangxi’ ( NZMC); 4♂ 1♀, Mt. Dayao, 26 July 2013, leg. Baosheng Su ( MAHU).

Distribution. China ( Guangxi ).

Remarks. N. tao was a poorly known species after published. It is similar to the sympatric species of N. guangxi Figures 1–12. Neolucanus spp., dorsal view except Fig. 2 (ventral view). 1–4. N. tao . 5–8. N. guangxi . 9–12. N. imitator . 1–3, 5–7, 9–10. Male; 1, 5–6, 9. large; 3. small; 7, 10. medium-sized. 4, 8, 12. Female. 1–2, 5, 11. Holotype. 4, 10. Paratype. 5. Figure from Schenk (2009). 10. Figure of N. swinhoei hengshanensis , confirmed synonym of N. imitator , from Fujita (2010). Scale bars = 10 mm.

(Figs 5–8, 25–29) which published by Schenk (2009) due to their reddish-brown color and short mandibles in males. But they can differ on the characters of body shape, head, pronotum and aedeagus. In N. tao (Figs 1–4): body slender; frontal region with a large shallow depression about taking up the 1/2 part of the frontal region; post-ocular margin short, about as long as the half length of the head, slightly swollen; canthus broadly triangular with a little rounded angle laterally; pronotum longer than the head with even disc; PA of aedeagus long, about 1.4 times BP, PES about 2.2 times the total length of BP+PA. While in N. guangxi , body convex; frontal region with a small deep depression about taking up the 1/3 part of the frontal region; post-ocular margin long, about as long as the 2/3 length of the head, strongly swollen; canthus broadly triangular with sharp angle laterally; pronotum shorter than or about as long as the head with convex disc; PA of aedeagus short, almost as long as the length of BP; PES about 2.6 times the total length of BP+PA.

Neolucanus imitator Kriesche, 1935 (Figs 9–12, 30–33)

Neolucanus imitator Kriesche, 1935 . Koleop. Rundsch., 21: 170.

Neolucnaus swinhoei hengshanensis Ichikawa & Fujita, 1987 , Gekkan Mushi, 197: 12. Neolucnaus nitidus hengshanensis: Mizunuma & Nagai, 1994 , The Lucanid Beetles of the World: 218, pl.19.

Length 30.0–38.0 mm (including mandibles). Width 12.0–15.0 mm. Surface. Whole dark except for partly yellow to reddish brown elytra (Figs 9–12). Main surface smooth, small punctures presented on mandibles and the surrounding of eyes; legs with large and dense punctures. Head. Almost rectangular, 1.8–2.4 times wider than long. Anterior margin at middle concaved, frontal region with f a large, deep, triangularly depression in male, that of female much smaller and quite shallow. Vertex slightly raised. Male mandibles. Relatively straight and thick, about as long as the length of head in large and medium-sized male, but shorter than that of head in small male. The apex sharp and slightly curved inwards. A large, upwardly erected sub-apical tooth presented on the upper mandibular margin (or dismissed into an obsolete tooth rudiment in small male). Other 4–7 small blunt teeth serrated along the lower mandibular margin from the base to the apex. Female mandibles. Almost triangular, shorter than that of head, covering with punctures; the apex sharp, slightly curved inwards; sub-apical tooth absent on the upper margin; 2–3 blunt teeth serrated along the lower mandibular margin. Eyes. Completely divided into the upper and lower part by canthi. Canthi laminated and expanded, roughly equilaterally triangular with a blunt apex angle in male; that of female broad, almost semicircular. Post-ocular margins short, about as long as the 1/3 length of head, slightly swollen. Mentum. Rectangular, with rounded anterior angles; surface almost flatten, covering with long yellow brown hairs in male. In female, no hairs presented except for the distal margin, but with a pair of ridges extended from the anterior angles to the middle of mentum. Labrum. Small and triangular in male; rectangular in female, the distal margin with a small projection at middle. Antennae. Slightly sexually dimorphic, longer and stronger in male. Club 3-segmented, terminal segment totally pubescent, other 2 segments partially pubescent; scape slightly curved; pedicel almost symmetrical; the 3rd, 4th, 5th segment almost equal, the 7th segment with 3–5 apical setae. Pronotum. Transverse, slightly shiny, about 2.0 times wider than long; 1.8–2.5 times the length of head. Disc distinctly convex. Anterior margin sinuate, sharply projected at middle. Front angles relatively blunt. Lateral margins strongly divergent on 3/4 anteriorly, then strongly convergent on 1/4 posteriorly and meet the posterior margins, often concaved at the intersection of lateral margins. Hind angles sharp. Scutellum. Blunt heart-shape, with several small punctures. Elytra. More shiny than head and pronotum, distinctly convex; about 1.3 times longer than wide, almost as wide as that of pronotum at the widest. Mainly yellow to reddish brown except for the bases of shoulders, elytral suture and outer margins dark. Wings. Fully developed. Legs. Long and stout. Front tibiae narrow at base, strongly expanded and forked at apex, with 4–5 small teeth laterally; spurs sub-cylindrical and curved, short in male, relatively longer in female. Middle and hind tibiae highly similar to that of front tibiae, but no lateral tooth presented except for spines at apex. Aedeagus (Figs 30–33). BP slender, about 1.5 times the length of PA; the 2/3 proximal part closed to PA broad and the 1/3 distal part blunt. PA relatively long with almost straight outer margins; the apex bluntly rounded from the dorsal and ventral view, but slightly sharp from the lateral view. ML distinctly asymmetric, slender; the left lobe slightly longer than the right one. PES (Fig. 33) quite stout, about 2.6 times the total length of BP+PA; main outer surface of PES smooth and membranous, covering with short dense dark brown hairs from the middle to the apical part. Female genitalia is unknown because abdomen of this only one examined female specimen was worm-eaten.

Type material examined. Holotype of N. imitator , ♂ (Figs 7–8), in SMTD, labelled: China, Hunan Province Sinning. /3356 / typ (red label) / Neolucanus imitator n. Type! (handwritten) / Sammlung Kriesche Ankauf, 1974/ Staatl. Museum für Tierkunde. Dresden. Syntypes of the allied species, N. swinhoei swinhoei Bates, 1866: 2 ♂1 ♀, in BMNH. 1♂, labeled: type / Neolucanus swinhoei , ♂, Bates. Proc. Z. Soc. Fromosa (handwritten) / 85 / 28 / BMNH (E) # 600520; 1♂, labeled: / Fig. I / N. swinhoei , ♂, Fromosa / BMNH (E) # 600521; 1 ♀, labeled: Syntype / Fig. I / Neolucanus swinhoei , ♀, Bates. Proc. Z. Soc. Fromosa (handwritten) / 85 / 28 / BMNH (E) # 600522.

Figures 13–24. Neolucanus spp. 13–18. N. nitidus . 19–24. N. pallenscens . 13, 15–17, 19, 21, 23. Dorsal view. 14, 18, 20, 22, 24. Ventral view. 13–15, 17–24. Male; 13–14, 21–24. large; 15, 17–20. medium-sized. 16. Female. 17–18. Holotype. 19. False holotype of N. pallenscens . 13–16. From Zhejiang, Mt. Tianmu. 21–23. From Guangdong,Mt. Loufu. Scale bars = 10 mm.

Additional material examined. Diagnosed specimens of N. swinhoei hengshanensis , Hunan, Mt. Heng, 9 August 1985, 1♂ 1♀, leg. Yalin Zhang, Yong Cai. ( MNAFU).

Distribution: China (Hunan).

Remarks. This species has been little known since published in 1935. A small male was described (Fig. 11) by Kriesche from Hunan Province, which is little similar to the species of N. tao in their body color (dark except for the partly yellow brown elytra). But its body is stout with short and slender mandibles; head with deep depression on the frontal region, post-ocular margin slight swollen, canthus broad triangular with bluntly apex angle laterally. Most of characters of this species are also very similar to the subspecies of N. swinhoei hengshanensis which published by Ichikawa & Fujita (1987) from Hunan province. The authors possibly did not know the species of N. imitator and not mentioned it in their paper. Mizunuma & Nagai (1994) transferred the subspecies as N. nitidus hengshanensis without full discussions of the status change. Schenk (2012) initially proposed the name of N. nitidus hengshanensis (from Mizunuma &Nagai, 1994) as a junior synonym of N. imitator . During this study, we have examined the holotype of N. imitator , two diagnosed specimens of N. swinhoei hengshanensis from the same locality as that of type materials (Mt. Heng, Hunan Province, Figs 9, 12), paratype photo of N. swinhoei henshanensis (Fig. 10) from the illustration of Fujita (2010), type materials of its allied species of N. swinhoei swinhoei Bates (in BMNH) and N. nitidus (in OXUM). The comparison indicated that N. swinhoei hengshanensis should be confirmed as a junior synonym of N. imitator . They shared those key characters in the head, (mandibles, frontal depression, post-ocular margin, canthus), pronotum, elytra and aedeagus.

All these above-mentioned characters also can be used to distinguish N. imitator from N. nitidus which shall be discussed as below. Especially, the aedeagus of N. imitator (Figs. 30‒33) are markedly different from that of N. nitidus (Figs. 35‒38) in the characters of PA, BP and PES, which can furthermore denote that N. swinhoei henshanensis (= N. imitator ) is not a subspecies of N. nitidus as Mizunuma & Nagai (1994) and Fujita (2010) treated. Their subspecies status changes could result from the wrong diagnoses of N. nitidus and N. swinhoei swinhoei Bates, 1866 as we have found in their books.

Figures

Figures 43 – 45. Neolucanus tao, types. 43 – 44. Aedeagus. 45. Female genitalia. 43, 45. Ventral view. 44. Lateral view. Scale bars = 1 mm.